Mortal Instruments: Highschool AU ( Jace and Clary )
by timelordXatXhearts
Summary: A highschool AU in which Brooklyn High's resident bad boy Jace Wayland is assigned the role of Romeo Montague in a class skit and Clary Fray is his red haired and fiery hearted Juliet Capulet. Neither of them are too thrilled about this, but will they be able to warm up to each other before the final performance? Or will they simmer into to something even more?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Mixed Emotions **

_(A/N: WARNING: It says the "F" word once and other mild curse words as well, so i'm sorry if you're uncomfortable with that kind of stuff.)_

* * *

"And what's this guy's name again? I'll give him the ol' sucker punch for you, Clary!"  
Simon enthusiastically swung his Star Wars pen, narrowly missing the elderly teacher that was hobbling by, practically clinging to the lockers as if touching a teenage boy would give her the plague.

Well who knows, at least one STD could be lingering on the underside of Brooklyn High's rusty tin shambles that they call lockers.

Clary shooed his idea off with the wave of her hand and a crinkle of her nose.  
"Jace Wayland. Jace Morgenstern. Jace Herondale. Jace Lightwood. Jace Whatever his name is! He changes it every time I ask him, with a cocky little smirk and a wink that screams 'I'm an asshole.' He's trying to be mysterious, but it just comes off like he wants to throw me in a white van."

Simon only chuckled softly, shaking his head at his feet.

"I don't know Clary, maybe you should ease up on the guy."

Clary frowned at him, kicking his shoe and ignoring his attempt at looking hurt.

Her gangly legged friend may look fragile, but one time he fell off his bed and managed to break his lamp, his door, and his dignity. He was pretty strong for a guy who resembled a toothpick.

"Maybe he has daddy issues?" Simon offered, veering right and pulling Clary along with him into their 11th grade English class.  
But Clary only tugged his arm back outside of the room so they could finish their conversation.

"Daddy issues? I'm pretty sure HE didn't have an abusive father who dated his mother for kicks and then tried to kill her with a butter knife."

"Okay, okay!" Simon raised his hands in defense.  
"I get it! You're the queen of daddy issues! But now you've got Luke, who is A+ father material! And no offense, but your mother should've kinda known that your ex-dad was pretty shady. I mean, what kind of name is Valentine? Was he a stripper or something?"

Clary shook her head and combed a red-orange strand of hair behind her ear for what seemed like the fifth time today.  
Again, it only sprang right out towards the front of her face.

It was being particularly kinky today.  
"UGH!" She threw her hands up into the air in exasperation, and Simon looked taken aback, clutching his chest.

"I am so done with this one strand of hair! That's it! I think i'm going to shave my entire head off."  
"No, don't do that, you'll look like Voldemort. Cute, but still Voldemort. And strand-of-hair don't play by your rules, Clary." Simon had started to backpedal into the class room, seeing that the late bell was to ring in approximately 10 seconds.

"Can't we finish this conversation inside Miss Seelie's class?" He practically begged her, but Clary was busy tugging at that one strand of hair again.  
"No!" She exclaimed motioning towards the classroom, "_That_ is a stable learning environment, and i'm not going inside until i don't have an afro!"

Suddenly something warm and lean was pressed against her back and Clary shivered.

"I got it, love." Fingers stroked the hair into place and Clary whirled around to find the owner of them, Jace, inches away.

He was too close for liking, and her heart was beating harder than she'd care to admit.

He had a strange look in those gold specked eyes of his, and if they didn't hate each other so much, she could've sworn he was staring at her lips.

Clary's eyes widened and she stumbled backwards into Simon's arms just as the bell rung.

"Late again, Jonathan." Miss Seelie called from behind them with her smooth and sultry voice that was, on another note, quite cold.

"And fashionably so too, Miss Seelie." Jace winked at her and the entire front row of the class swooned, girls and boys alike.  
Hell, the entire country of the United States of America swooned.

Simon turned Clary around by the arms and the both of them bolted into their seats at the back of the classroom.  
But their tardiness didn't go unnoticed.

"And it seems you were dilly-dallying around with Miss Fray and Mister Lewis too." Simon could almost feel the smug grin forming on their English teacher's face.  
_'She must really hate children. Fuck.'_ Simon thought, cursing to himself.

Clary winced at being called out in front of the entire class, and shrunk into her seat as they turned accordingly.

"Yup," Jace explained nonchalantly, reclining in his seat as well, only in a manner that suggested that he was lounging on a sun-soaked beach and not in the middle of English class. "Me and Fray were making out and Mr. Lewis wanted to watch."

The classroom "ooh"ed and Miss Seelie rolled her eyes, crossing her dainty legs utop her desk. She was quite terrifying for such a quaint woman, like a pretty little fairy with poison fangs and gaping gashes for eyes.  
She didn't break the smoldering glare from Jace's face, but proceeded to address the entire class.

"So… Today we will be nearing the end of Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, therefore your unit final will be a group skit on one selected scene from any of the Acts."

The class mentally groaned, and some even cursed aloud.  
"YOUR GROUPS…" Ms. Seelie started again, speaking over the complaints of teenagers, "…will be ranging from 3 to 5 people, and i have already selected the groups ahead of time, so Mr. Wayland you can stop eyeing your friend Mr. Lightwood and you can take a seat next to Miss Fray."

Clary nearly choked on her spit, straightening up and dropping the pencil she was fiddling with between her teeth.  
"W-what! Excuse me?" It was too late, as Jace was already making his way towards her and Simon with a more than friendly look on his face.

But his attractiveness only further irritated Clary.

"Did i stutter, Miss Fray?"  
For a teacher, sure did look pleased at Clary's discomfort. "Do you have a problem?" She asked calmly.

Simon was trying to conceal his bursts of laughter into his hand, but Clary (on the other hand) was outraged.  
"YES. Yes, actually. He's going to hit on me and make crappy puns." She objected.

"You'll have to survive. Mr. Lewis will also be joining your group. Now," Ms. Seelie clapped her hands together with a smile that made Clary's stomach twist.  
"The rest of you, come up to my desk to receive your list of group members."  
The rest of the class swarmed the front desk leaving Simon, Clary, and Jace alone.

"I'd be angry too if i were you, darling," Jace acknowledged, speaking eloquently and fluidly, as if reading off a script, "How ever will you get any work done if theres the ever-present risk of you falling madly in love with me?"

Jace was all game, but Clary wasn't playing it.

"I think i'll manage." She drawled, opening the textbook and turning away from him with a sarcastic smile.  
Simon, "ooh"ed and Jace's smirk fell.

Now this, he wasn't used too.

After a long pause, Clary mouthed _"_Shit_."_ and Simon's head whipped towards Clary who was studying her paper with a furrowed brow and one hand in her hair.

"What? I mean i know Shakespeare can be pretty boring, but i didn't think R&J was complete _'shit'_…" Simon teased.

"No, I mean **_shit_**." Clary shoved their group paper onto his desk and Jace leaned forwards in his chair to see what Clary was so distressed about.

"Now what's got your panties in a twis-" Jace gagged on his words and snatched the paper up from Simon.  
His heart dropped deep into his gut.

They were assigned the balcony scene. The epitome of romance. The fictional kiss to end all fictional kisses.

"Well i've got a girlfriend, so i'm not kissing Clary." Simon proclaimed, leaning back into his chair not sounding the least bit apologetic.

Clary was blushing madly and for once the suave Jace Wayland was flushed and stammering too.

"W-Well I'm…." He gulped, refusing to make eye contact with Clary. "Well if you're suggesting that i have to make out with Simon, that's a negative."

Clary's gaze drifted down into her book as she remembered the way Jace had stared at her lips when he fixed her hair, his own lips quivering.

But he hated her.

Right?

"So, i guess that means…" Clary began.

"Pucker up, buttercup." Jace finished swallowing again.

He turned to Clary, waiting for God knows what, his eyes both pleading and worried.

"No big deal." She deadpanned, finally meeting his amber eyes, hers distant and non-resplndent although her heart was hammering against her ribcage and throbbing in her throat.

For a second he almost looked hurt, but then he kicked his chair away and his armor was back up.  
"Yeah, whatever. No big deal. Not like it means anything anyways, i'm sure we'll both just throw up afterwards. It's revolting."  
But by the time he'd finished his sentence, he was already storming across the classroom.

Clary felt sorry, but couldn't help but wonder why. It wasn't like he cared or anything, she'd seen him making out with some black haired girl underneath a stairwell not too long ago, why was she any different?

Simon finally let out a laugh, and Clary shot him a glare.

"What?" He shrugged. "You both really wanna kiss each other, it's obvious, i just don't understand why you guys have to be all pained and dramatic about it, i mean its a class skit! Not an episode of Teen Wolf!"

Despite the direness of the situation, Clary let her inner 12 year old get the best of her and stuck out her tongue at Simon, glancing once more at Jace who was now sitting next to Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane with his arms crossed and teeth clenched.

"I don't want to kiss Jace Wayland. I would rather use one of those tiny potted cacti as a tampon than kiss Jace Wayland." Clary stated firmly, but she had to force the words out.

"Okay, first of all EWW, and second of all do you really mean that?" Simon questioned, nudging her chair with the toe of his converse and raising his eyebrows at her.

Clary caught Jace's eyes once more from across the room and this time neither of them looked the other way.

"No. I don't think i mean it. I don't think i mean it at all."

* * *

_**(A/N: Wow. It's literally been 3 months since i've posted any of my fanfiction. I am the worst person ever. Anyways, please give me advice and tell me what you thought of chapter one! Sorry for being so rusty, and thanks for reading! More chapters soon to come! Tell me what YOU think should happen :D )**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**Not Himself

* * *

Okay, so it was a known fact that the students at Brooklyn Highschool were a pretty rough-around-the-edges bunch.

But the lunch food at Brooklyn Highschool?

That stuff was radioactive.

Clary prodded at her green-tinted macaroni and cheese uninterestedly, sighing dramatically over the noise of a packed school lunch room.

It was too warm in there. Not the 'toasty cozy fire-side' kind of warm, but the claustrophobic teenage body heat kind.

Simon nudged her on the tip of her nose with his finger.

It was an annoying thing he did when he wanted Clary's attention (which was often) and Clary always had the urge to bite it off every time he wagged it at her face.

"What do you want Simon?" Clary tried to sound patient, but it just made her sound even more done with the world.

Simon rested his head utop hers. "Awww, c'mon Clary you can't still be cranky over Jace and the whole 'kiss thing' in English! You guys act like each other have cooties or something!" Simon whined.

Clary furiously took a bite into her mac and cheese and immediately regretted doing so.

It tasted like feet and disappointment.

"I'm not cranky." She argued, but she could hear Simon scoff from across the table.  
"Three year olds and grandpas get cranky. I'm merely…. perplexed in an unhappy manner." She confirmed.

"What the fuck does that even mean, Clary." Simon stated bluntly, more like he was trying to prove a point than ask a question.

When Clary didn't respond he outwardly groaned, grasping her cheeks with both of his hands and squishing them so that she resembled a very unhappy chipmunk.  
"Listen, Clary. Since it's friday night and my girlfriend Isabelle actually has a social life, she invited me to go to this club called Pandemonium."  
Simon paused and stared at her still-squished face, as if waiting for something.

"Congratulations?" Clary blubbered through smooshed cheeks, confused.

"I'm asking you if you want to tag along, you moron." He explained.

"Fine." She finally uttered, squirming out of his hands and pushing her so-called "mac and cheese" aside.

Just as Clary decided to get up and head to 5th period, Simon called out from behind her.

"And one more thing! You're gonna wanna wear a dress. The one Isabelle bought you."

* * *

Clary was surprised she wasn't deaf by now.

Fifteen minutes into dancing like a dork with Maia and she could already feel the beat of the booming dubstep song being pounded into her brain.

Pandemonium was nothing like she expected.  
When Simon said they were going to a club, she expected one of those nice, preppy "teen clubs" that served ginger ales and had all the lights on, but boy was she wrong.

Her, Maia, Jordan, Isabelle, and Simon all had to sneak in through a back window over empty beer bottles, party poppers, and even a couple condom wrappers.

And to make matters worse the window was elevated 8 feet into the air and Clary was wearing one of Isabelle's dresses, a.k.a. the kind that made you wonder if it was actually intended to be a shirt.

Isabelle said they were going for Magnus Bane's 18th birthday party, and then it all made sense to Clary.  
Magnus was 100% "go big or go home".

"I'M GOING TO GET A DRINK!" Clary shouted over a David Guetta song, turning towards the better-lit bar area before even checking to make sure it actually _was_ Maia she was screaming at through the strobe lights and darkness.

As she wove through the crowd, Clary felt someone start to grind against her backside and grimaced, scurrying faster towards the bar table.

She sat down cautiously (trying to make sure her lacy black cut-out dress didn't ride up) next to a guy who had his head down and was very much drunk and very much asleep.

The guy who came to serve her had greasy raven hair that came down choppy and punk-looking across his forehead and eyes that looked blackish in the dim lighting.  
He was buff, but in the scary _"I host dog fights in my free time"_ kind of way.

Clary read the name "Sebastian" on his name tag and began to address him.

"So, Sebastian, can i get a-" A sausage-like finger was pressed into her lips, interrupting her, and Clary guffawed at the bartender.

He spoke arrogantly as Jace Wayland did, only he had a sinister look in his eyes.  
"Here you go, babe," he slid a glass of a vile-smelling clearish liquid across the table and attempted to wink, but it only looked like he had an eye twitch or something.  
"It's on the house."

Clary shook her head with an uncomfortable smile.  
The smell of the thing alone even managed to begin to stir the boy sleeping next to Clary into consciousness.

"No thank you, i'll just have a water."  
She forced a nervous laugh when he didn't smile back.

Sebastian's expression darkened, but he only offered up a cold smile. "Oh babe, trust me it's free! As long as you give me a little something else in return…" He smacked his lips together with a slimy, clapping noise and his gaze began to drag across her dress.

Suddenly Clary was regretting her choice to wear it.

Clary winced as she felt something sticky and cold grip her inner thigh from underneath the bar table. It was Sebastian's hand snaking its way up her skirt.

She bolted up and her barstool screeched backwards, causing some people, including Isabelle (who was dancing with Simon a few feet away), to turn. Sebastian's hands tightened into fists, but he managed to produce a tight-lipped smile.

"Sorry babe, but you ARE going home with me tonight."

Clary wanted to hit him, but in a millisecond, the boy who had passed out drunk in the seat next to her was already doing it for her.

"She said no." Deadpanned an all too familiar voice. "And by the way she prefers _'love'_ and _'darling'_ over _'babe'_, asshole."

Sebastian crashed into the back wall of various drinks, but before Clary could even see the rest of his reaction she grabbed the boy who'd punched Sebastian by the back of his collar and and pulled him back into the crowd by Isabelle and Simon.

When she'd finally squinted hard enough in the darkness, a wave of realization washed over her.

"Jace?! Jace is that you?"

But the boy in front of her was swaying and struggling to stand. This couldn't possibly be the smooth Jace Wayland.  
But to her astonishment the boy nodded and murmured in a hushed voice,  
"Maybe. I think so… Wait! …. No yep, that's definitely me."

Clary couldn't help but laugh to herself and lug him towards the door by his shoulders after sending a quick text to Isabelle.

IZZY,  
I'M TAKING JACE SOMEWHERE SAFE.  
TELL SIMON SO HE DOESN'T FREAK OUT  
AND HAVE A STROKE OR SOMETHING.  
-C

Soon after Clary received a reply

OKAY.  
WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT.  
JUST USE PROTECTION.  
-IZZY

to which she mentally rolled her eyes to.

Why was it that everyone assumed Jace and Clary had something going on?  
All he did was hit on her, and all she did was insult his hair.

Clary was more grateful than she thought a human being could possibly be when she finally stepped out of the club doors, dragging the intoxicated and out-of-his-element Jace Wayland on her waist.

She'd never felt better.  
The cool night breeze filling her lungs and chilling her sweat, the fact that she could actually stretch now without accidentally touching someones butt, the gorgeous and ever-twinkling sky ahead, aaand Jace Wayland puking all over her platforms.

Clary tried not to appear too disgusted, as he was pretty ill.  
"OH MY! ...SHIT… Well that happened!" She exclaimed, awkwardly patting his back.

Clary carefully stepped out of them and debated whether or not to carry them to Luke's, or to just throw them away.

Jace was bent over and dry-heaving, and they didn't have time to waste, so Clary just cursed and threw them in the nearest trashcan.

"Where are we going?" Jace asked, beaming up at her and looking like a lost puppy.

When he was drunk he really did turn into a giant five year old.

"To my house. I don't know where you live and my parents are on a honeymoon, so i guess you can just sleep on my floor."  
Clary tried to say it like it was no big deal, but her heart skipped a beat just at the thought of Jace Wayland stepping into her bedroom.

If anyone from school found out about this, her life would be flipped upside down.

* * *

When they finally got into Clary's bedroom, Jace leaning onto Clary the entire way there, he finally mumbled,  
"I'm sorry i threw up on your shoes. But your feet look really cute. Like little baby piglets lookin' for a home."

His eyes were half-closed and he was hugging one of her stuffed unicorns.

Clary scoffed at him, setting him down on her furry rug.

Part of her wanted to take a video.

It was official. Drunk-Jace was her favorite.

She pondered over whether or not she sure change, but Jace was still sitting there, criss-cross applesauce and grinning up at her, eyes half-lidded and drowsy.

Yup, she would NOT be stripping for him tonight.

Instead she just crawled into her bed and observed him for a little while, using her blanket to cover her mouth.

So there they were staring at each other like they'd never laid eyes on the opposite gender.

Clary had never seen Jace this vulnerable, and if he was sober he'd probably just wink at her and chastise her for checking him out.  
But right now all he did was reach out a hand and stroke the side of her face.

"I'm sorry i puked on your shoes." He whispered again.

"I know." She grinned, attempting to close her eyes, but he was still watching her.

"And I'm sorry that you have to kiss me for English class." He added, continuing to resemble a three year old who lost his teddy bear.

He still looked like Jace, but his eyes were so sad. Yet somehow he had never looked more like Jace than he did right now.

"I'm not sorry that i have to kiss you though." Clary admitted, biting hard on her bottom lip.

Jace brought a thumb up to her lip and pulled it out from underneath her teeth.  
"I've always been in love with you Clary Fray." He giggled, swaying in his seat.

This is what she was afraid of.

Clary clenched her eyelids shut.  
"Jace, don't."

"But it's true! Everytime you laugh or say something in English class i want to drown in your voice and every time you-"

"JACE."

"What? I love you." He was grabbing at his feet now, rolling onto his back and smiling wildly, his blonde hair sticking up in every which way.

"Don't say that!" She said more angrily now.

"Why not?!" He whined, attempting to kiss her, but she jerked her head back.

"Because I don't want you to say something you don't mean! Because _i_ don't have to be drunk to love you!" She was practically screaming now.

Jace looked like a wounded animal, his smile slumping into a worried expression.

Clary groaned in frustration and turned over to face the wall.  
She could feel a warm wetness on her cheeks.

"Clary?" A voice finally said in a hushed tone.

"Yes?" She answered.

"Can i come up in the bed?"

There was a prolonged pause.

Clary thought of how she hated that she had feelings for him. Clary thought of how bad it would look in the morning. Clary thought of Jace.

"Yes."

* * *

_**(A/N: This chapter didn't have a lot of purpose other than to be a filler,  
**__**but writing Drunk!Jace was really fun and i'm really excited to get to the skit part! **_

_**Remember to review, tell me what you think, and tell me what you think should happen!  
**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

_**-timelordXatXhearts )**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: ****The Aftermath **

* * *

All Jace Wayland could hear in his first few minutes of consciousness was the thudding throb of his heartbeat pounding in his head.

He mumbled something about a hangover and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to rid them of the black spots he was seeing.

"What time is it…" he groaned to himself, reaching for his phone on his dresser, and instead grabbing a lacy black bra.

His hand froze.

"Wha-…"

Jace became increasingly aware of his surroundings, sitting up.

This was not his bed.

That was not his pink stuffed unicorn.

That wasn't even his own heartbeat he was hearing in his head.

And hell, that was definitely NOT his lacy black bra.

There was a leg draped over his own, and a small girl clinging to his abdomen (not that he minded).

She smelt like lavender, white chocolate mocha, and vaguely of alcohol.

"Please don't be Aline, please don't be Aline…" he thought to himself, recalling his ex-girlfriend.

He was practically wincing, slowing turning to see who the girl was with an impending sense of dread.

"Jace? You're awake?"

A sleepy voice answered his question, her breath light as a feather on his stomach.

She'd let go of him now and was now staring at him kind of like she wanted to shoot him and kind of like she wanted to shoot herself.

There was a rosy flush coloring her face.

Jace had thought he'd be relieved to see that it was anyone but Aline.

But to wake up next to Clary Fray?

His heart was beating hard in his ears again.

"Uhh, i umm.." He struggled to find an actual word to cling onto.

She was wearing a short black dress that had ridden up to her stomach and her hair was disheveled to the point where it was almost comical.

"Get out."

"Yes ma'am."

He stumbled out of the bed so quickly that he got tangled in the blankets and fell, staggering upwards and ignoring her stifled laugh.

He recalled bits and pieces of their previous night.

Punching a guy who looked like he'd just walked off the set of _Twilight._

Throwing up on Clary's shoes.

Hugging her in her sleep and nuzzling her shoulder with his chin.

Calling her toes _"lil' baby piglets"_.

He wanted to die.

Not even turning to say thank you or goodbye, he began to walk out the door, stopping underneath the frame with a question on the tip of his tongue.

"Wait, Clary…"

Clary swallowed.

How much did he remember?

Jace Wayland was all giggles and puppy dog pouts last night, and now he was purely predatory, but there was a look of helplessness in his eyes.

"Yes?" she asked, tugging the hem of her dress down to cover her underwear.

His shirt had only one button done up and it was in the wrong button-hole.

Somehow he managed to make that look like _"i'm a sexy pirate"_ and not like _"I just slept underneath an overpass"_ which was how Clary looked at the moment.

She could see him bite the bottom of his lip, struggling to find the right wording.

"Last night, umm… we didn't, you know..?" He made an obscene gesture with his hands and Clary burst out laughing, shaking her head "no!".

He smiled, a genuine one, and then chuckled nervously,  
"Well, good! I'm surprised though, because that pink unicorn is really a turn on."

He winked at her.

"God! Who knew Romeo could be such a jackass…" She laughed, throwing a pillow at him.

He dodged it easily and licked his lips. With the way he looked at her, she could've sworn he was going to waltz right back into her bed.

Her skin tingled at the thought, and she stiffened.

But instead all he said was, "See you in English class, Juliet." and just like that he was gone and she was alone again.

The bed was still warm.

She was still laughing at the utter incredulousness of this entire situation, but she couldn't help the pang of disappointment she felt when he said "Well good!" in regards to them not having sex.

Was she that revolting?

Clary experimentally sniffed her armpit.

Nope, she definitely wasn't puke-worthy, she just smelt like lavender and coffee.  
And now a little bit like Jace.

Hell, her whole entire bed smelt like him: cologne, soap, sunshine, honey, and a little bit of arrogance.

She plopped her head back down on the pillow in frustration.

He made her feel like she was going to throw up (preferably on HIS shoes as revenge), but she couldn't tell if it was her hatred for him or the butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

Simon was right, she _did_ want to kiss him and she hated it.

She remembered his words last night, "I've always loved you."

She'd never really thought about that possibility.

He was like a sun god and she was just a red-head with snark and a lot of anime posters.

But then she recalled the way he'd gaze at her when he thought she wasn't looking, the way he'd flirt with the entire population of America, yet saved the best lines for only her, and the way he nuzzled her shoulder, slipping his chin into the crook of her neck.

And then it hit her.

"Oh my god," she muttered against the back of her hand, "He's totally in love with me."

* * *

(MINI-EPILOGUE:) 

Clary was beaming at the ceiling, grinning wildly and glad no one was there to judge her in her school-girl giddiness.

She was about to bolt up and text Simon when her smile fell.

Her black bra was gone, in place of it was Jace Wayland's leather jacket.

"Son of a bitch…" She hissed underneath her breath.

* * *

_**(A/N: Hey, sorry this chapter is so short (its kinda just another filler), i have to start a Biology lab like right now so i won't be a **complete **failure. And if the epilogue wasn't clear, pretty much Jace took Clary's bra as some sort of souvenir and in turn gave her his leather jacket.**_

_**Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, be sure to tell me what you think of it and what you want to happen next!**_

_**In the next chapter I kind of just want them to go back to school already, but i can't exactly skip saturday and sunday, so i'm either going to have them go to another party and play spin the bottle, or i'm just going to have them practice for their skit at Taki's, you guys can choose! **_

_**-timelordXatXhearts )**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: ****Cut Short**

* * *

"Ahh look! Another hipster in it's natural habitat. How majestic."

Magnus Bane's lazy tone was laced with sarcasm and disdain as he reclined against the pole outside the coffee shop.

He nodded towards a girl with high-waisted shorts, a flower crown, and a _"The Strokes"_ crop top on.

Jace scoffed into his coffee cup, and apparently this drew the girl's attention as she turned to them and flipped them off.

"Ooh they bite too…" Magnus drawled, obviously uninterested.  
He tugged on the waistline of Alec's jeans until Alec slapped his glitter speckled hand away.

"You watch too many nature shows, Gaga." Jace snapped. He was growing impatient and, quite frankly, nervous as hell.

"Gaga? I'll take that as a compliment." Magnus responded, picking at the waistline of Alec's boxers again, "And stop being so fidgety Jace. If this Clarisse girl had the nerve to send you to some trashy coffee joint for some skit practice, she might as well show up. I've never seen you act like this."

Magnus titled his head at Jace questioningly.

Jace just threw his full coffee cup away and continued looking for his group partner.

"Her name is Clary." He stated angrily, "And I've never even seen _myself_ act like this... I don't know, i just gotta lot on my mind right now."

He was about to turn around and search the back of the coffee shop when he heard a deep and amused voice from behind him.

"Looking for me, lover boy?"

Jace greeted Simon with a sarcastic smile and headed inside the coffee shop with him, leaving Magnus and Alec to stalk off to god knows where.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Lewis. When's Clary coming? I have something of her's."

He pushed the door open and was hit with a wave of the thick, bitter, and warm scent of ground coffee.

He never liked coffee.

"She's running late. Her mom and Luke just got back from their honeymoon and they're hounding her about her room smelling like alcohol and 'sexy-man cologne'." Simon explained casually, but Jace's face was reddening by the second.

"What do you have of her's?" Simon wondered, kicking his feet up on a round, wooden table.

Jace thought of the lacy bra he'd snatched from her room and grew defensive.

"Why do you care?"

He took at seat next to Simon and crossed his arms.

"Well it's sure not her heart that you have, so you might as well tell me. Did you borrow one of her dresses or something?"

Jace only rolled his eyes at Simon's attempt to insult him.

"Oh, stop trying to embarrass me, Lewis. It's distasteful and kind of sad."

Jace ran a hand through his mane-like hair and flung his Ray Bans onto the table with a clatter.

"I forgot. You have the confidence of Mufasa from The Lion King." Simon murmured, obviously irritated.

"Didn't Mufasa die in a stampede of cow-things?" Clary added, announcing her arrival and pulling up a chair.

Jace noted that she was wearing a leather jacket.

_His_ leather jacket.

Her hair was tousled and parted far off to the side, like she'd been running. She was wearing a low-cut plain white t-shirt and Jace's leather jacket with a pair of distressed, light wash skinny-jeans and converse.

"Nice jacket." Jace grinned at her, looking her up and down.

Suddenly Clary felt very self-conscious.

"Nice bra." She retorted, smiling smugly when his eyes widened.

Simon gagged on his coffee.

"Wha-?"

"Don't ask." Jace interrupted.

Things were already getting tense between him and Clary.

It was a tension somewhere between extreme hatred and extreme attraction, and Jace needed to talk to her alone.

Clary sighed, starting to get up again.

"I'm going to get a coffee before we start practicing. So, you two," She pointed at Simon then at Jace, "Don't murder each other, okay?"

"No promises." Simon winked cheekily, raising his cup to his lips again, but Jace was already up and following Clary to the register.

She turned to him and gold eyes clashed with green ones.

She met his eyes with a confused look as he stood next to her, and he wondered if he had something on his face.

After a while of just staring at each other, they finally turned to the baristas and made their orders.

When they received their drinks, Clary laughed at Jace, an airy, innocent one, where she covered her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket (well, his jacket).

"What is it now?!" He pleaded, throwing his chin back into the air. She was always able to find _something_ amusing about him.

"Really?" She motioned down at his tea cup. "You think you're all posh and dapper with your tiny little tea cup, don't you Jace Wayland?!"

A shiver went down his neck at her using his full name.

He gulped.

"I'm not really a coffee person. More of a tea person. I actually despise coffee to be honest."

She furrowed her eyebrows at this and sipped her hazelnut latte suspiciously.

_'How could someone **not** like coffee?'_ She exclaimed to herself.

"Well have fun with your leaf-water." She was about to head back to the table, where Simon was waiting, but felt a hand wrap around her wrist.

"W-Wait, Clary..." Jace stammered, unsure of himself.

She frowned at him, but stopped moving.

"I need to do something, i mean- I need to talk to you. Outside. Alone."

He looked at her face nervously, but let out a sigh when she nodded and set down her coffee cup, letting him lead her outside.

He pulled her by the hand out the door and further down the alley to the side of the coffee shop.

"No funny business, Wayland." Clary warned, raising an eyebrow at him.

He grinned wildly and Clary couldn't help but loosen up a bit.

That was the kind of effect he had on her.

One smile, and she was prepared to run away with him.

He was bad for her in that way, the way he made her lose all reason and logic and just rebel against everyone and everything.

But how could he be so bad if it felt so good as his hand locked in hers, pulling her farther away from the world?

When they finally stopped jogging at the end of the alley, they were both laughing in fits and were wiping away tears for absolutely no reason.

When she finished catching her breath she shook her head at him.

"So why the hell did you bring me here, Wayland?"

He didn't break eye contact with her.

"To kiss you."

* * *

"W-wait, excuse me?" She suddenly felt short of breath again.

He simply stepped towards her and lightly took her hands in his, restating himself.

"To kiss you. I want to kiss you Clary Fray."

Her heart was pounding in her head and she'd forgotten how to breathe.

She always knew this moment would come, at least for the skit in English class, but she'd never thought it'd be like this.

When she didn't reply Jace spoke again, more gently.

"It's okay, right? No big deal. I wanted to try it, and it's just a kiss."

Clary gained back some of her cool at this.

"Yeah, totally! It's just a kiss. No big deal."

She nodded confidently, but couldn't help but notice her inability to make eye contact with him and that her palms were getting sweaty.

At her consent, he firmed his grasp on her lower back, and Clary involuntarily let out a little gasp.

She tilted her chin up to the taller boy, staring into his melted gold and copper-flecked eyes with a fist around her heart.

She was feeling something inbetween fear and thrill, like the trek up the peak before the fallout on a roller coaster.

Clary knew what to expect.

Jace Wayland loved quickly, violently, and passionately.

She was terrified, and part of her wanted to just walk away, but the heat radiating off his body was unbearable in the best kind of way and his lips were trembling just as much as hers.

She noticed a little chip in his canine tooth and it only added to his irresistible predatory finesse.

Clary clenched her eyelids shut as she expected him to hungrily come crushing into her, but instead all she felt was the sweet softness of his lips delicately pressing to hers, barely there at all yet the feeling completely consuming her.

She pushed herself closer to him to deepen the kiss, and he obliged, but never once was forceful with her.

It was a deep, rolling, fluid kiss that sent electric currents through her entire body.

Jace Wayland was a tease, pulling away just enough to hear her whimper or feel himself tremble, but boy did he know how to play snakes and ladders down her spine, crashing back into her and letting her rest her hands on his hip bones, her thumbs in his waistband.

She tasted like hazelnut latte and cinnamon gum.

He hoisted her up on an empty trashcan, shuddering when she ran her hands up the back of his neck and into his hair.

It felt so good with their bodies cemented together and their lips locked perfectly.

_Too_ good.

"Clary…" He muttered, panting and drawing his mouth away from hers, letting his teeth drag delicately across her bottom lip, biting it softly.

And then it was over.

When they parted, she looked hurt and embarrassed, pulling up her shirt, that had fallen over one shoulder.

She ran a hand through her hair, combing it so it looked less like someone had just been rucking up her shirt and tangling her hair.

"Yeah?" She mumbled, letting him help her down from her seat utop the trash can.

"We, uhh, we better head back. We should start practicing for the skit." Suddenly he was unable to meet her eyes, instead he just stared at her clavicle, both longingly and sorrowfully.

"Okay…." She nodded and began to walk back up the alley and to the coffee shop, but she hesitated, placing a hand carefully on his chest. "And, Jace?"

"Yeah?" He spoke quietly, her touch already evoking little electric bolts tingling across his skin.

She removed her hand from his chest.

"Let's keep this our little secret, okay?"

Jace felt like someone had stuck a rod of metal in his heart, and the pressure was excruciating.

"Oh… Okay." He attempted a smile, but had a terribly wrong feeling deep in his gut.

"So…" He couldn't help but ask before they started towards the coffee shop again, "What are we?"

_'What are we?'_ His voice echoed in her head, the question banging off the sides of her mind.  
He sounded so vulnerable and hopeful.

She bit her bottom lip hard, so hard that she tasted the metallic tang of blood, remembering what he said when he was drunk.

There were so many things she wanted to say too.

Instead Clary just looked at him mournfully, with a bittersweet smile.

"Nothing. We're nothing at all."

* * *

_**(A/N: Wow, a lot of you are probably going to hate me for this ending, but there are more chapters to come!**_

_**And trust me, it's gonna get really good very soon! **_

_**Sorry the chapters have been so short lately, and sorry it's taken me about a week to update!**_

_**It's just that i have this really cute french exchange student staying at my house and i really can't focus because hot damn. **_

_**He is fine piece of man.**_

_**Annyywayys... There is for sure more Jace/Clary chemistry to come, i'm just trying to take my time with developing their relationship a bit.**_

_**From now on I will be updating at least every Thursday, maybe even more often if i feel like it.**_

_**Like I always say, tell me what you think, tell me what you want to happen, and thank you for reading!)**_

_**-timelordXatXhearts**_

_**(Song of Chapter: Pull Me Down- Mikky Ekko )**_


	5. Chapter 5

"Where were you guys?" Simon raised his eyebrows at Clary and Jace who had just stumbled into the coffee shop flustered and breathing heavily.

Jace looked pleased with himself, but Clary looked like she wanted to hurl herself over the nearest cliff.

"Uhh… Nowhere. We just went to go talk." Clary babbled, her head hanging low.

Jace grinned at Simon smugly, as if he had a delicious secret on the tip of his tongue, before snatching their script from his hands.

"So the balcony scene, eh?" He grunted, picking at the staple in the corner.

Simon nodded, twiddling with a ballpoint pen between his fingertips. He propped his legs up on the table and made a shoo-ing gesture with the back of his hand.

"Well go on then!" He pushed "Give me your best Leonardo DiCaprio impression Jace, it's showtime!"

Jace scoffed at him, but took his place next to Clary anyways.

He couldn't help but notice how she flinched when he stood closer.

Clary stared at him as if excepting something.

"Oh, I uh-" Jace looked down nervously at the script in his shaking hands.

Great.

The professing of undying love part was first.

Jace's eyes darted across the room, looking for something to stall with.

"Well if Clary is Juliet and i'm dream-boy, who are you gonna be, Lewis?"

Simon only rolled his eyes and searched through the script for a part.

"I guess I'll be Juliet's nurse then."

He didn't say it confidently.

"How fitting." Jace mocked.

"Can we just get on with the script?!" Clary snapped from behind him.

Jace sighed and then nodded, turning to face her.

"We'll start from the middle." She announced.

Jace stepped forward, so close as to have their chests touching.

Clary's eyes widened.

She pushed his chest away from her, hoping he didn't feel her fluttering heart.

"I believe Romeo was over _there_, during this scene."

"Don't miss me too much." He winked, one of his signature asshole moves.

Clary ignored him and began reciting some of the lines.

_"Well, do not swear: although I joy in thee,_

_I have no joy of this contract to-night:_

_It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden;_

_Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be…"_

Clary gulped, thinking of their kiss, thinking of how her worst sin was loving him.

She tried not to let her voice falter, clearing her throat and getting back into character.

She forced herself to gaze into his eyes like they were the night sky, pretend like they were starlight, pretend like he was her Romeo. And she hated that it wasn't that hard to do.

_"Ere one can say 'It lightens.'"_ Clary continued, _"Sweet, good night!_

_This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath,_

_May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet._

_Good night, good night! as sweet repose and rest_

_Come to thy heart as that within my breast!" _

Jace chortled at that last line and eyed her chest and then her face with a inquisitioning look on his face.

Clary's face reddened and she tilted her head at him, willing him to stay in character.

She could see him mentally sigh as he looked to his own lines.

_"O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?" _

_'How very Jace-like of you, Romeo.'_ Clary thought.

_"What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?"_ She played, forming her mouth into an 'o' in an attempt to appear more innocent.

Jace licked his lips deviously.

But when he spoke it was softly, with a voice like velvet. He looked directly at her.

_"The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine."_

He said it like he actually meant it.

For a second Clary thought it was Jace's own words and not Romeo's, and she was taken aback.

She was broken out of her daze by Simon's snappy voice.

"Okay! Okay! Good work people!" He clapped his hands together, standing up and shaking the both of them by the shoulders.

They were still staring at each other, unsure what to make of their situation.

"So I'll see you two tomorrow, I have to go meet Isabelle at 'Karate Dave's'. She's getting her black belt and if i don't go she'll probably kick the shit out of me." Simon waved goodbye at Clary enthusiastically and headed out the door, the little bell at the top signaling his departure.

Clary nodded at Simon, absentmindedly, but heard nothing of what he had said.

All she saw was Jace Wayland, standing there picking at his thumbs and staring at his feet.

People in the coffeeshop had started to stare at the two of them, so Clary willed herself to move and shuffled a few steps to the right.

"Great acting." She finally said, recalling his last line. She shivered at the thought.

He started to move past her, sliding by to reach for his leather jacket that she'd brought.

"I wasn't acting." He hissed right as his lips brushed past her ear. His breath was hot on her neck.

Clary whirled around to face him, accusingly, but he only smirked and grabbed the rest of Simon's half-full coffee cup.

She watched him as gulped down the entire thing in one swig.

A few girls from their school were staring at the two (who were in close proximity), whispering.

Clary stepped back from the boy, self-consciously.

"I thought you hated coffee?" Clary stated, running at hand through her auburn hair.

Jace brought his his face closer to her ear and Clary stiffened.

"I love it now. The taste reminds me of your lips."

The two girls whispering giggled loudly.

"_Jace_! Not in public-" Clary began to shout.

But Jace was already jerking backwards.

He motioned to his coffee cup, the thin, black liquid sloshing back and forth as he made his way out the door.

"Kind of reminds you of our relationship, doesn't it?" His voice was laced with venom, but also with hurt. "It's bittersweet."

He stopped in the doorway as Clary flashed him a pleading look, pulling him off to the side, out of the two girls' view.

"I'm sorry! i love you," Clary regretted letting the three words slip out, but his gaze softened at this, "but i'm sorry. I just can't afford anyone to know about us right now. If there even is an _us._"

Jace's eyes were all steel-gold and fire again.

He swallowed hard, his lips tightening.

"Don't bother calling me tonight for one of your demented drunk-cuddle sessions. I'm not your play thing, _Fray_."

He said her name like a curse.

And then he was gone.

* * *

_**(A/N: So it's official, i'm updating every Thursday OR sooner :)**_

_**Thank you so much for reading this! Should the next chapter be the skit? Or should I slow it down a bit?**_

_**Anyways the song for this chapter is Damn Your Eyes- Alex Clare**_

_**Keep reviewing!**_

_**-timelordXatXhearts )**_


	6. Chapter 6

_"Some people_

_bring out the worst in you, others bring out the best, and then there are those remarkably rare, addictive ones who just bring out the most. Of everything. They make you feel so alive that you'd follow them straight into hell, just to keep getting your fix." _

_— Karen Marie Moning, Shadowfever_

* * *

_'What the hell is that god-awful noise?' _

Clary shook her head in discomfort, squinting and kicking around in her half-conscious state.

She failed her arms towards the distant sound of The Smiths, before finally muttering "Oh what the hell." and actually opening her groggy eyes to turn off her alarm.

She slammed the OFF button with more ferocity than she initially intended, and it fell off her nightstand with a dull clunk.

It was already 7:00 and her bed was now hot, messy, and sweaty, not warm and cozy.

Small clouds of dust particles gathered and swirled in billows, swimming in the rays of light and burning through the slits in Clary's blinds.

Clary screamed into her pillow one last time before padding across her room like a sleepy puppy and shuffling through her drawers for a shirt.

A tight plaid shirt, one of simon's muscle tanks, and a "Can U Not" t-shirt from red bubble.

Clary warily sniffed the plaid shirt, shrugged, and then proceeded to put it on. She didn't even bother to scratch at the coffee stain that was crusted onto the right breast pocket.

_'Oh, great the play is today.' _Clary remembered and mentally groaned._ 'And Jace is going to be there, with his stupid smirk, and his stupid hair, and his stupid lips.'_ Clary realized she wasn't breathing and broke out of her Jace-induced trance.

Her mom's voice made her jump.

"Clary! If you want to walk to school with Simon you better leave now! He's waiting in the living room." She called from the hallway.

_'Okay,'_ Clary thought, straightening the straps on her backpack. _'Showtime.' _

* * *

"Clary Fray, Jace Wayland, and Simon Lewis."

Clary jerked upwards in her chair, causing it to make an attention-grabbing screech against the linoleum.

Her face reddened tremendously as Miss Seelie called her name, drawing eyes to her like an open flesh-wound did to a pack of wolves.

She didn't know why she was so shocked.

She knew that Miss Seelie was going to call their group to perform eventually.

Hell, she knew that they were to perform next, but it was something in her voice.

_"Clary Fray, Jace Wayland, and Simon Lewis."_ She had said.

It was something about her name next to Jace's, something about kissing him in front of the class that felt like revealing her darkest secret, something about Miss Seelie's beady eyes and the buzzing fluorescent lights that felt like a morgue, something about walking up to the front to face all the eyes that felt like walking to your own execution.

Nonetheless she gulped and reached out with a shaking hand to grab their script off her desk, but her fingers felt a smoother, smaller paper attached to the top of her script.

She looked down, gulping.

The note was written with smooth, fluid penmanship and a steady hand.

It was somewhere in between calligraphy and a scrawl:

_**'Can't wait.' **_

* * *

_**(A/N: I'm sorry this is so extremely, excruciatingly short! I'm just going to pretend like i did it for suspense, but in reality i just broke my foot and i'm on my way to the ER.**_

_**My body is broken.**_

_**Pain.**_

_**Okay... so I'll see you guys soon hopefully!**_

_**-timelordXatXhearts )**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: A+**

* * *

Clary strained her jaw, trying her hardest not to tremble underneath the watchful eye of Miss Seelie, but trying to resist was just making her shake more. At the moment, Clary had what you could call _"chronic jitters"_.

Simon and Jace were already up in front, awaiting her with worried glances and nervous smiles towards the impatient class.

The silence was unbearable.

"I'm waiting…" Miss Seelie stated, drumming her fingers against her desk and rolling her eyes with a wicked smile.

It was almost as if she enjoyed watching Clary fail helplessly against the pressure.

Simon was the only one that knew that crowds weren't exactly Clary's 'thing'.

Nonetheless, she joined them in the front, and took a few deep, wavering breaths.

"Begin." Miss Seelie ordered.

Jace gulped, staring down at his feet, but when his head shot back up, he was no longer Jace Wayland, he was Romeo Montague.

_"It is my soul that calls upon my name:_

_How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night, lik-"_ Jace choked on his words, turning back to Clary, but she was already bolting outside of the classroom door. She looked like she was going to hurl, and her pearly white complexion had gone to a sickly pasty one.

Simon gave Jace a panicked look as if to say _"Do something!"_ and Jace gave a charming, but fake, grin to Miss Seelie.

"I'll be right back…" He chuckled nervously, following Clary outside.

When he got there he found her crouched outside the class room window, clutching at her knees and chewing her bottom lip.

Jace had no idea how to comfort her, and his confusion only grew as she let out an incredulous laugh that sounded like a choke.

"Well i think i blew it for the entire group. I'm so sorry." She buried her face into her knees and tugged at her hair.

Jace rushed to her side, crouching beside her and pressing a gentle hand to the side of her face.

"No no no! Miss Seelie will probably let us try again." He assured her, actually looking concerned for her well being.

But Clary only shook her head. "But I don't know if I _can_ try again."

Jace took her hands in his and turned her to face him. Her eyes were shimmering with tears like a green pond swimming with specks of gold.

"Why don't we practice before going inside again?" He offered, his voice soft and his gaze softer.

She nodded and began to recall her lines, not breaking eye contact with him.

He looked as vulnerable as he'd been drunk, mouth partly open, and eyes big like a deer's.

_"'Tis almost morning;"_ she began, becoming Juliet in a blink, and pretending as if Jace were her forbidden Romeo, _"I would have thee gone:_

_And yet no further than a wanton's bird;_

_Who lets it hop a little from her hand," _

Jace intwined his hand into hers and the both of them raised theirs.

Her voice was a whipser.

_"Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves,_

_and with a silk thread plucks it back again,_

_So loving-jealous of his liberty." _

Her whisper had turned into a soft huff, a panting.

But her breath was silenced all at once when Jace began to speak, voice deep and velvety.

_"I would I were thy bird."_ He murmured.

Clary let out a small smile at this, but continued to recite her lines, the words flowing out of her before she could even process them or get fully into character. Then she realized that she didn't need to.

_"Sweet, so would I:_

_Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing._

_Good night, goodnight. Parting is such_

_sweet sorrow,"_ A small part of her grew panicked, as if Jace would actually leave her.

_"That I shall say good night till be morrow…"_

They were both breathing heavily now. They knew what came next.

"You don't have to kiss me." Jace said soothingly, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand and nodding. "It's only practice. You don't have to." Although he looked disheartened, he didn't want to push her.

"But I want to." Clary pleaded.

Jace twined his hands tighter around her waist and Clary forced him closer to her by his shoulders, soaking in his warmth and threading her fingers in his hair.

Their kiss was delicate, but they still desperately moved themselves closer together. It was electric.

Her lips were addicting to him.

They only broke apart when they were interrupted by a slow clapping.

The both of them separated, wild eyed, and turned towards the window in utter shock.

The whole entire class had been watching them practice their skit through the window and were now applauding.

Even Miss Seelie was nodding to them, signifying that they did well.

Jace turned to Clary, who was still partly in his arms.

"So I'm guessing we got an A?"

Clary nodded with a smile and almost felt like she was close to tears.

"Great acting." He winked at her as he helped her up, and Clary rolled her eyes with a laugh, curtsying for him.

"I deserve an Oscar, or a Golden Globe, or a Tony or something…" She played, hoping that her eyes didn't look too red from her little breakdown.

"So I guess I'll see you around, Wayland…" She looked amused, starting to head inside.

Jace grinned at her endearingly, but then suddenly got a sick, falling feeling in his stomach.

This was it, the end of their group project.

Would they disintegrate into nothing once it was over?

Suddenly he was frantic, grabbing her wrist as she tried to walk to Miss Seelie's desk to receive their grade.

"Clary wait…" He racked his head for an excuse to see her again.

"Yes?" She asked patiently.

"Um, I think i… still have something of yours, you know from the project. Can you come over to my house to pick it up?"

He was sweating now.

Clary only nodded nonchalantly.

"What is it?"

Jace started to walk inside the classroom with her and pressed his lips to her ear.

"I'll give you a hint. It's black, lacy, and completely inappropriate."

Clary's face reddened, thinking of her bra that he took, and he flashed her a sorry look that didn't look like he was sorry at all.

"Yay." She muttered sarcastically, "You just know how much I love black and lacy."

Jace winked again.

"And you know how much _I_ love inappropriate."

* * *

**_(A/N: I'd like to thank everyone for being so kind and asking about my foot!_**

**_It turns out that i broke 2 toes and fractured 1, but i'm pretty sure i'll be okay._**

**_The story isn't over! So don't fret! The next couple of chapters are going to be a lot of Jace trying to make excuses to hang out with Clary._**

**_Also Clary will finally try and turn her and Jace's relationship into something more._**

**_Thank you for reading! Make sure to review!_**

**_-timelordXatXhearts) _**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: **Little Birds With Broken Wings

* * *

_"And now I'm looking at you," he said, "and you're asking me if I still want you, as if I could stop loving you. As if I would want to give up the thing that makes me stronger than anything else ever has. I never dared give much of myself to anyone before – bits of myself to the Lightwoods, to Isabelle and Alec, but it took years to do it – but, Clary, since the first time I saw you, I have belonged to you completely. I still do. If you want me."_  
― Cassandra Clare, City of Glass

* * *

Jace really didn't think this out.

_"Can you come over to my house to pick it up?"_ He had said, and boy was he regretting it as he scrambled around his room tidying it up to the point where it looked like no one had ever even lived there.

Although it was practically empty, it still felt so… crowded.

Jace was beyond unsettled now, it felt like a thousand little ants were crawling up and down his body.

Call it nerves, call it OCD, all Jace knew was that Clary was supposed to be at his house at about- he checked his watch- 2 minutes ago and he still had no idea why he was so apprehensive about it all.

Just as he was about to run over and close his closet door he hear a soft chuckle, light, airy and confident.

_Clary._

Suddenly it felt like his heart was in his throat and his mouth had gone dry.

"Knock knock?" She said amused.

Jace turned from his closet guiltily and smiled a little over-enthusiastically at her, to the point where it looked sarcastic.

Clary frowned playfully.

"Trying to rush to hide your copy of_ 'Busty Asian Beauties'_ from me, Wayland?"

He laughed nervously and ran a hand through his hair.  
Why did he feel like he was caught doing some terrible, unspeakable act?

"Nope, just hiding the dead body. Didn't have time to bury it."

She raised her eyebrows and plopped down on his bed, observing her surroundings with a judging eye.

Jace tried not to flinch at her crinkling his bedspread.

He had spent 30 minutes perfectly straightening the snow-white linen.

"Can I help bury it?" She asked, motioning him to sit next to her.

He grinned at this, but as soon as he sat down beside her, ready to drape his arm across her shoulders, she hopped up and began to pace across his room, swaying her hips.

_'So, she wants to play hard to get?'_ He thought.

"Does anyone actually live in this room?" She finally asked after a while of just fiddling with the few things on his desk and slowly dragging a lazy finger across the part of his dresser that just so happened to be his underwear drawer. "The bed is so clean."

"Well, yes, I live in this room. And thank you, the bed is clean, and pretty big. It was built for two people, you know."

Clary halted, her eyes widening, and moved to the other side of his bed.

Jace stood, turning to face her, but every time he tried to walk around the bed to get to her, she just kept circling it so that they were always on opposite sides.

He sighed in frustration, but a smile played on his lips.

"What is this Fray? Some kind of demented, sexy, game of duck duck goose?"

"Sexy?"

She threw her head back in laughter, giving him the chance to jump across the bed and loop his arms around her dainty waist, but she only dipped her head down into his chest, denying his lips of hers.

She belly flopped onto his bed again.

Jace's brain was going crazy and all his nerves were on end.

It was 50% _"My god, Clary Fray is on my bed, I could get used to this."_ and 50% _"My god, i just ironed those sheets."_ but mostly the first thing.

He could feel her eyes on his face and his body, darting up and down, green catching the light like emeralds being held up to the sun.

Then all at once he didn't know what to do with his hands.

"Wow, Wayland," She began with a breathy tone, "Excessive blinking, humming, shuffling your feet. Those are all the textbook signs of being in love."

_'Oh god.'_ He thought.

He was doomed.

"So who's the lucky girl? ….. or guy…" Clary sat up like a puppy, her legs criss-crossed and her face attentive.

"Girl." He corrected, tentatively sitting beside her.

This time she didn't get up.

"Aw damn. I was pretty sure it was Simon." She was eyeing his lips.

"Well I guess Simon is pretty feminine-"

"Okay ew." She scoffed at him and punched his shoulder lightly. "So you gonna tell me who she is?"

Now she was just messing with him.

"I think you very well know who it is, _Fray._" He scolded her, and looked down at her endearingly.

Clary groaned loudly, falling back into his arm and throwing her own across her eyes dramatically.

"You're ruining the game! Did you graduate from kill-joy university or something?"

"I was the valedictorian."

Clary drummed her fingers on his headboard.

Jace felt like he was going to explode if he didn't get the words off his tongue.

The question was building-up, creating pressure in his chest and growing and growing, like a balloon ready to pop, or something a bit less poetic.

"Clary, will you be my-"

"Jace." She said sternly, as if she wanted him to stop.

Now he was heated, but in a different kind of way.

"What?!" He moved back from her as if she'd slapped him in the face. She practically had, disregarding his feelings like that again. "I wasn't going to ask you to be my wife or anything, jesus christ!"

Clary quickly pressed her lips to his, hard and his anger immediately melted away. He raised a hand to hover over her cheek.

How could he be mad when all he could taste was her?

When they broke apart softly she explained herself.

"_I_ wanted to be the one to ask _you_. So let me ask you-"

"No. I don't think anything needs to be said... I am yours and you are mine."  
The words flowed out of him so quickly, barely a murmur, just a breath of air.

She nodded instantly and fell apart into his arms, like the string on a sweater that had finally been pulled, unravelling.

They both sighed deeply, and Jace could feel Clary shudder.

She felt so small on his chest, but he knew she'd never break.  
She was strong.

"I'll always be here for you, little bird." Jace stroked her head, looking down at her with absolute clarity.

Clary scoffed and crinkled her brow, but she couldn't help but smile at Jace's dumb half-grin.

"Little bird? And I thought_ 'my angel'_ was bad-"

"What's wrong with birds?" Jace looked genuinely confused and slightly offended. "They're pretty and they-"

"Shit on all the things you love?"

Clary was stubborn.

Jace rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and kiss me."

"Pfft… _'little bird'_…" Clary mumbled while moving closer to him to meet his lips.

* * *

**EPILOGUE: ** _(optional read)_

With Clary Fray in his arms, Jace thought the worst thing in the world was to part with her lips, even for a second. He'd forgotten what it felt like to not have them pressed to his. This was his natural state, and her leaving was the worst this this world had.

Well when Magnus Bane and his brother Alec burst into his room, their hands like wildfire dancing across each other's bodies he changed his mind.

_This_ was the worst thing that could happen.

Jace pulled away from Clary and put an arm over her protectively and instinctively.

"Alec, what the _hell_ are you doing in here."

Alec pulled away from Magnus (barely) with an annoyed look on his face. There was glitter smeared on his lips, and it wasn't his.

"I didn't know you were in here. Isabelle was in my room."

He said it like it was obvious and it was Jace's fault for being in his own room.

Magnus clapped his hands together in exasperation.

"Alec you didn't tell me there was already a make out session going on in here!"

"We weren't _making out_." Jace retorted in defense. Clary was silent her face coloring by the second. "There's a difference between kissing and eating each others faces, _Alec_." Jace explained.

"Sooo.." Magnus began after an elongated pause, "Foursome?"

"GET OUT."

* * *

_**(A/N: Sorry for that silly little bit, i felt like this story lacked some Malec and it was sort of turning into the Jace & Clary show.**_

_**So next chapter get ready to go back to school and meet Jace's asshole friends who call themselves 'The Shadowhunters'. **_

_**And YAY. Finally Clace is official!**_

_**Also sorry for all the kissing. I just think the fact that Jace can't keep his hands off her is fantastic, but i'll try to loosen up on the physical contact due to the complaints. :)**_

_**I might be slow on updating the next few upcoming chapters as finals week is approaching faster than i'd like to be and it will be utter hell. **_

_**Thanks for reading! Also it'd be great if you could review just to tell me what you want to see and what you think!**_

_**-timelordXatXhearts )**_


	9. Chapter 9

_"We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy."_

_-George R.R. Martin_

* * *

**Chapter 9: ****The Not-So-Friendly Friends**

* * *

"Jace."

Clary stood squarely in front of her cheap, plastic Target mirror. She promised herself she'd buy a new one when she was out at the store, but the fact that it only cost $5.00 didn't affect the quality of the girl it reflected back it her.

_'This is you, this will always be you.'_ It seemed to say.

She squirmed in her dress and pulled at the hemming.

Her hair was a bit frizzy and her dress was too small, in a way that the cloth awkwardly hugged her body and grabbed at her sides in all the wrong places.

Other than that she looked average, the same as usual.

But she _felt_ different now.

"Jace." She repeated, only more firmly this time, without any doubt and with a sense of finality.

She'd always thought before that his name cut like a blade, bold, sharp, and sudden.

Only now she realized that it felt soft and delicate on her tongue, so fragile.

"Clary!"

Clary jerked out of her thoughtfulness and turned to her door with a hint of irritation in her expression.

"Yes, mother?" She droned.

Jocelyn shifted in the doorframe and rubbed at her temples with paint-caked nails.

With Luke on a business trip and Jocelyn left to run the bookstore and attend her late-night art galleries, her patience was running low.

Luke had recently published a teen-romance novel about a werewolf and a demon-hunter and, to sum it all up, he was practically the new Stephanie Meyer.

"School. You know that thing you're required to go to? Remember it?" Jocelyn sighed.

Clary snatched her backpack up from her bed and pushed past her mother with only a muttered "How could i ever forget."

* * *

"How did we meet?" Clary asked when the weight of the question was unbearable, just sitting on the tip of her tongue, inevitable to jump out the second she opened her mouth.

She was curious and forgetful, and she knew that he was the exact opposite, so he'd have all the answers.

Jace liked to leave things be, and he remembered every little detail, from the shape of her collar bone to the time in 7th grade when their hands met by the pencil sharpener in Mister Neal's class.

He'd remember.

They were sitting outside their school, which was currently drowning in a pool of Brooklyn-fog.  
Everything was enveloped in dew and ghosty shades of grays, colors like faded clothing and dying flowers.

"You seriously don't remember?" He questioned, sounding a bit skeptical.

Clary nudged him in the shoulder and he pretended to almost fall off the stone bench they were sitting on.

"What?!" She admitted defensively, "Don't look so hurt! I don't even remember what i had for dinner last night."

He smiled, the small chip in his tooth making him look cute rather than predatory.

"Okay, okay! What i want to hear is how you _think_ we met. Just give it a guess and i'll tell you if you're right."

He knew how Clary was with her games.

She furrowed her brow and scratched the back of her head.

"Well," she spoke at last, "I want to say that it was a really romantic, comical situation, like at some Denny's at 2 AM, or that my car broke down in the middle of nowhere, or even that i found your phone number in a library book, but i have a feeling like that wasn't how it was at all… Did i help you with a homework assignment or something?"

Jace made a buzzer noise and shook his head. "Nope, not even close."

She grimaced at her shoes and Jace patted her back.

"Don't lament now, Fray," he mocked, "I'll give you two more guesses."

She looked up and saw his eyes.

_'How could i not remember the first time i saw those eyes?'_ she thought angrily.

_'They're so painfully gold. Not hazel, not amber, but gold, like reflected sunlight, raw and regal- wait-no! Pull it together, Clary!' _

She cleared her throat and racked her mind for another possibility, quickly breaking eye contact.

Jace crinkled his brow when she laughed into her hand.

"Wha-"

"It's just," she explained with a snicker, "I vaguely recall throwing my shoe at you."

His eyes lit up and he nodded.

"Yes! Ding ding ding! You are correct!"

They both burst out laughing, ignoring the insistent ring of the bell.

"Do you remember what else you did?" He asked her, catching her hand into his as they stood to walk to class.

She eyed him nervously.

"No?"

When he just smiled smugly at his feet she hit him in the stomach.

"Ow-"

"Tell me! What did i do?"

Jace shook his head with a knowing laugh and pulled her closer to his side.

"You told me i looked like an emo Ellen DeGeneres."

"NO!?" She shouted with incredulity, her mouth agape.

"Oh, but yes!" He pulled a face that said _'I know.'_ .

"Oh my god, i'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, but it was through stifled giggles.

"You are so not." He attested, and she couldn't help but mentally agree.

As they approached Miss Seelie's door, Clary felt Jace slip away from her side and begin to fall behind her.

"And where are you going, mister?" She inquired with an eyebrow raise.

"I'm just…. drifting away from the classroom?" He tried, beginning to backpedal down the hallway.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. More like drifting away from your education and future." She was actually sort of concerned now.

Where _was_ he going?

He recognized the worry on her face and stopped, bringing his hands to her cheeks, his face softening.

"Clary, don't fret my lovely. I'm only ditching to hang with my crew."

"You have a _'crew'_?" She grinned.

"Yes, actually i do. And they're total badasses. You should come hang out with us at lunch, me, Aline, Raphael, Camille, and Jonathan."

Clary groaned at the thought of leaving her and Simon's routine game of 'Creating Backstories For Random Passer-byers', but reluctantly nodded in the end.

"Oh, and one more thing," he added, pushing a leather jacket into her hands. "You're gonna wanna wear this."

She rolled her eyes.

"A leather jacket? Really? What is this, _The Outsiders_ or something? Are you guys like a greaser gang?"

Jace started to walk backwards again, his eyes hooded, and bit his bottom lip.

"Yeah," he murmured, "Something like that."

And then he was out of sight.

_'What have i gotten myself into.'_ She thought with a sense of dread.

She knew Jace was some what of a bad-boy, but she wasn't ready to become the Sandy from _Grease_ and miraculously start rocking shiny black pants and smoking cigarettes.

The bell rang, but Clary didn't care.

She kept running the names of his friends over in her head.

_'Raphael, the guy who beats sophomore boys up in that abandoned hotel. How charming.'_

Still he wasn't the name that stood out.

_'Camille, she's a total druggy who will mate with anything remotely male. Great.' _

Still, that wasn't the person.

_'Jonathan: i'm pretty sure he's the brother of Sebastian, the guy who hit on me at Pandemonium and smells like bacon grease.' _

She found herself upon the last name.

_'Aline... Jace's ex-girlfriend.' _

Clary swallowed hard.

_'This is going to be fan-freaking-tastic.' _

* * *

_"Oh Lord, Oh Lord, what have I done?  
I've fallen in love with a man on the run  
Oh Lord, Oh Lord, I'm begging you please  
Don't take that sinner from me  
Oh don't take that sinner from me."  
_

_-The Civil Wars, Devil's Backbone_

* * *

**_(A/N: Arrghghgrsgsgfg! I'm sorry this is just a filler chapter! All the drama is going to go down in the next chapter!_**

**_Also, i'm not even gonna lie, i'm kind of majorly disappointed in myself for this chapter._**

**_I just wanted to get something up because i usually update within the Thursday-Saturday period. I'll probably patch it up later, but i'm hoping it's just me being too critical on myself and that you guys actually enjoyed it._**

**_There was a lot of dialogue, i know, but i promise next chapter will be exciting and Jace will be less OOC._**

**_Remember to review (i live for reviews) and tell me what you liked about the chapter!_**

**_Thank you all sooo much for _****_reading!_**

**_-timelordXatXhearts_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:** **All Was Well****  
**

* * *

The more Clary tried not to worry about meeting Jace's "crew" the more anxious she became.

She could practically feel the stress wrinkles forming on her forehead.

She was sitting next to Simon in English class and they were supposed to be writing a poem for the poetry slam, but instead all she could do was stare blankly at the wall behind him and wallow in her dread.

_'So, Aline eh?'_

She wanted to stop the thoughts, but it was like trying not to itch a scab or trying not to use your phone while waiting alone at a bus stop.

_'She and Jace must still be really close.'_

Clary clasped her hands around her ears, as if that would block out the thoughts.

_'She'll probably think you're lame and hate you.'_

Surprise surprise, her strategy didn't work.

_'What if she's hot?'_

"SHUT UP." She finally shouted aloud.

Simon looked taken aback, with a hand on his chest and a frown in his brow.

A few boys sitting in the surrounding desks even scooted their chairs away from her a little bit.

"Well geez, am i breathing too loud or something?" He snapped.

Clary just groaned and slumped into her chair.

She didn't have time for English class.

Simon obviously wasn't pleased with her moodiness today.

"Well I have an idea for the poem," He said scornfully, "It goes: Roses are red, violets are blue-"

"Simon-"

"-Clary Fray is a giant poo."

Clary smiled sarcastically before returning her face its grimace.

"That's really mature Simon."

He rolled his eyes before taking her hands in his.

"No, really, what's wrong?" He asked patiently, rubbing circles on her hand with his thumb.

Clary exhaled deeply.

"It's just Jace's probably-hot ex-girlfriend, Aline. And it's okay, you don't have time for my girl issues. Do your poem, Simon. Eat your vegetables. Stay in school kids." Despite her joking, there was no humor in her voice.

Simon just wanted her to feel okay.

"Fuck the poem." He smiled, squeezing her hands tighter.

"Don't fuck poems, that's disgusting and wrong."

"Ha. Ha. You're a comedian Clary, truly... And what do you mean by Jace's ex being _'probably-hot'_? You're either hot or you're Eric."

Clary nodded at that.

Eric was desperate, pathetic, and his nose looked like a lopsided potato.

It was a mystery how he had 4 girlfriends, or any girlfriends at all to be honest.

"Well, I've never actually seen her," She admitted, "But i feel like she's about 70% hot. Not full hot. Just 70%."

Simon inclined his head in agreement.

He tilted his chin and scrunched his nose, staring off to the side.

Clary could tell he was trying to imagine what "70% hot" looked like.

"Maybe 70.52% hot," He concluded, "Jace is pretty hard to get."

"Oh you have no idea." Clary grumbled.

* * *

Clary's knees were shaking by the time she got halfway across the mess hall.

She could see a wavering, blotchy reflection of herself holding a lunch tray in the linoleum floor.

The leather jacket Jace had given her was too big and she was pretty much drowning in it.

"Clary?"

Clary spun around, her dress trying to twirl, but only swooshing meekly, being weighed down by the heavy jacket, like a limp flower.

The voice didn't belong to Jace.

It didn't even belong to a male.

The girl who had called out to her ran over, with a slight skip in her step and an excited smile.

Clary was a a bit perplexed.

_This_ was the notorious Aline?

Other than the leather jacket and plain white t-shirt tied in a knot to show her bellybutton, Jace's ex-girlfriend seemed really sweet.

Even nice.

Aline had a trendy short hair cut with choppy side-bangs, and everything about her seemed classic; black, white, and cherry-red.

She hugged Clary with a giggle and Clary's back went frigid.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you!" She sighed, standing back to look at Clary. "Really, i'm ecstatic!"

Clary frowned a bit.

"Really?"

Aline grabbed Clary's lunch tray and set it down on the table they were standing next to, ignoring the freshmen boys that were sitting there, looking irritated.

"Of course!"

She bounced up and down like a pixie and Clary felt like she was going to throw up.

Not because she didn't like her, but because she did.

Aline was perfect_ and_ nice.

Soon a slouchy, lanky boy with sleeked back hair joined them, and Camille did too.

Clary felt like a cornered dog.

"Hey, love."

Clary jumped a little, but then Jace's arm snaked across her shoulders and she sunk into him.

She exhaled a big breath she even didn't realize she was holding in.

Seeing a familiar face was such a relief.

"I see you've met the crew." He smirked, trying to 'play it cool', but beneath that he was beaming.

He pecked her on the lips.

Clary could see that he was so happy to finally have his friends meet his girlfriend.

That's right, _girlfriend_.

And in that moment with Jace's arm binding them together and the taste of Clary on his lips, she was his Juliet and he was her Romeo all over again.

The End.

* * *

**(A/N: Yes! Victory! I'm finally finished! **

**I felt like this was just dragging on from the moment they finished the skit, but I'm glad i made it and i want to thank my very patient readers who've stuck with me this far!**

**Most of the reason i wanted to finish this so badly is because i want to start a new imagine series (maybe for the maze runner or the mortal instruments?) where you guys can comment/review and submit your imagine prompt with the character you want, and I'll write it for you under that story!**

**I hope you guys are happy with this fic! Aline was a bit OOC, but i'm glad she wasn't the stereotypical ex-girlfriend bitch, change is good. :)**

**I love you guys, make sure to review, and also if you've got a Mortal Instruments story of your own, tell me in the reviews and i'll check it out!**

**Thanks so much!**

**-timelordXatXhearts )**


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